Tiny Huge Cases
by Aisu Kurohoshi
Summary: The Tantei deal with the dangers being private detectives in Mushiori city, taking on those from the shadows, known as the Shinobi. Yusuke/Koenma, Hiei/Touya, Jin/Kurama: ***Repost of "Little Cases"


Kurohoshi Notes: I reposted it because I was unsatisfied with the last one. Please forgive me.

Disclaimer: Yu Yu Hakusho is owned by Yoshihiro Togashi.

~*~*~*~

Detective Yusuke Urameshi entered the Tantei headquarters with a jingle from the bell tied to the door. It was their 'alarm' so to speak, because in reality if someone were to attack the place, they wouldn't enter through the front door. Not unless they were a moron.

Their receptionist Botan greeted him "Morning Yusuke!" Botan was a bubbly girl blue haired girl working through college who had taken this gig to earn some extra cash. Today she was wearing an orange kimono because since the job was so dangerous she was entitles to certain liberties like wearing whatever she wanted, getting a long lunch break and even redecorating the place.

When they hired Botan she was the only person who actually wanted the job so indeed their shabby little home went from a ship's cabin to a Valentine's Day exploded feel, but it didn't bother Yusuke and the rest of the guys, because the place could get shot up anyway.

"Hey Botan, we get any calls?" Yusuke lazed into one of the white waiting chairs that had a pink cushion.

"Kuwabara phoned in- he woke up late and hit some traffic."

"I told him he should have gotten a place closer to here," Yusuke pointed out.

Kuwabara was another Tantei. Of the four he lived the furthest and had a house instead of sharing an apartment with them. He also was the only one who had a car, which the others shared, and his house was near their hometown so they used it as a second headquarters.

"I'm going to get some zees in the LAB," Yusuke gets up and does a large yawn. "Keep up the good work Botan. You're truly one in a million." He said to her and she giggled. "Yes sir," before turning back to the game she was playing on her school laptop.

Yusuke actually liked Botan she had a dash of fearlessness about her. For example right now, she displayed such a sense of calm sitting at the front desk even though something could happen at any minute. There was only one window and it was a tiny one on the door, which hardly gave anyone a sizable view.

The LAB was actually the only other room besides a bathroom and a closet. The place was built back when they first got started and their finances at the time consisted of only the scraps they'd earned wile working for their teacher Genkai. Since then they'd made more money, but in order to keep up with the new equipment and their rent they've let it stay a dump. It was a real eyesore to the community but Yusuke thought it was nostalgic.

Inside was Kurama the third member of the Tantei. He was the brains of their operation.

He was very engaged with whatever he was looking at on the computer but he paused for a moment to say good morning to Yusuke.

"Botan said there weren't any calls. I expected you to be asleep in here." Yusuke looked toward the small mattress in the corner.

The room was half LAB and half bedroom because Kurama tended to live here instead of go home. Yusuke didn't think it was healthy but he would try and convince his intelligent friend another day because the bed looked to inviting to him, the one who had stayed up last night playing Goblin City.

"I was going to assume that, or that you'd be doing homework since it seems to be everywhere." It was true Kurama's papers were scattered onto every available surface of the room. "We might have enough to get a maid for you." He mumbles plopping himself onto the bed then shutting his eyes.

"There's no need Yusuke," Kurama replies with the same tone, "I am quite able to collect my own assignments.

While also studying evidence acquired by our mutual friend."

"Let me guess, bad attitude, a penchant for steal shiny swords, and a scary obsession with invisible people?"

"You shouldn't tease Yusuke." Kurama's eyes shined with concealed excitement. "Hiei might be onto something."

Yusuke peered one eye open, "no shit?"

Kurama shook his head, "Yesterday he found evidence in an alleyway adjacent to the crime scene of the latest Shinobi victim."

Yusuke looked skeptical. "He better not'd been seen. All we need is to be spotted by the police for snooping around the scene of a crime, and Hiei's hair just doesn't stick out enough in a crown."

"I would wager they know each of our appearances by now Yusuke, but back to the point, he acquired this item far beyond the point of the scene." Kurama pulled up a map on his computer for Yusuke to see, and the other man got off the bed to take a closer look.

Kurama also handed his a plastic case that contained what looked like the bottom hemisphere of a giant pearl.

"That's on hell of a wedding ring if you're proposing." Yusuke commented.

"I agree it's peculiar. It seems like it would fit into some sort of apparel but I highly doubt it's a ring. My guess would be something much softer such as a belt. When I examined it closer I discovered a print."

"Whose finger does it belong to? Yusuke was anxious.

"It's not safe to assume anything just yet..." Yusuke knew Kurama was calming him down for something big, "but it matches a print found in the criminal database that took place six years ago. The victim was a man called Kotestu Hajime and he was assumed to have been killed by the Shinobi."

"That's a year before we came onto the scene." Yusuke said quietly "Kurama can you actually tell how long these kills have been going on for?"

Kurama nodded. "Hiei's obsession has generated much of the information. It seems these mysterious assassinations have been going on for the past fifteen years."

"Jeez, and it's been six years since one of them has made a mistake like this. What do you think this jewel has to do with the organization?"

"I am only speculating but it may be some kind of symbol of membership, or perhaps it's a trophy either way there are bound to be others like it."

"So where does that leave us, is this the kind of thing we have to fork over to the police?" Yusuke didn't sound happy about that.

Kurama was silent for a moment and looked like he was contemplating something. "Yes" he replied, "but we should not be discouraged and neither will Hiei, because it has information that on the surface may seem invalid but could become an asset to us. You see the latest victim, Ms. Ruka Sokyujojo, was found in the open, as usual, but the jewel was found in an alley that only had three escape routes." He motioned to the screen. "The only options for escape was the pasage to the left or right, or into this bar."

"Now that you mention it, didn't we give Hiei the day off because of that bar fight he got into yesterday?"

"The same one"

"I shouldn't let him take these long lunch breaks on his own. He leaves me out of all the fun."

Kurama nodded in agreement to only the first half of that statement. "Hiei may not have gone about it the right way, as per usual, but I do believe that is our major point of interest. If we can find one witness, we may get a clue, or simply what the killer may look like."

"I'm on it-" Yusuke was cut off by a knock and then Botan's smiling face in the door way. "Yusuke, there's a young woman here, who needs to speak with you urgently!"

Yusuke blanched, so much for their 'alarm' he didn't even hear someone come in, and there wasn't even a door between hear and the next room. Kurama looked like he was surprised also but more discreetly. "Well...of course we were in deep conversation." the redhead said lightheartedly. "I'll speak to you later Yusuke, surely it can wait, it is still morning so the bar most likely isn't full of its usual consumers."

"Right the freaks come out at night," Yusuke waved over his back, "I'll see you later Kurama, and don't wait up for me I'll check it out ASAP."

When Yusuke left Kurama began the long process of cleaning the papers, putting together reports and forging believable ones as well. His task for the afternoon as the Tantei's forensic scientist would be to take the evidence to the Mushiori Police Station which he really wasn't looking forward to.

~*~*~*~


End file.
